Sinkhole survey work under way after delay

Engineers from Severn Trent have been examining a hole which appeared in a riverside footpath in March.

Shropshire Council fenced off the area, close to the weir in Shrewsbury, when a lorry sank into it and said the hole appeared to have been caused by the River Severn.

It said: "Although this issue has not been caused by one of their sewers Severn Trent has kindly offered to repair this defect and Shropshire Council will be supporting them."

But Jessica Hamlett, Waste Team Manager at Severn Trent, said the company "had to wait for the levels in the River Severn to drop quite significantly" before it could carry out survey work and repairs.

Emily Mainwairing, owner of the nearby Weir Cafe in Shrewsbury, said the closure of the riverside footpath had cost her business thousands of pounds in lost trade.

She said she and her staff were now "all slightly concerned for our future" and complained about a lack of communication.

Repairs to the road surface have been delayed by high river levels

Severn Trent said river levels had dropped sufficiently by the weekend for it to carry out survey work, which confirmed river erosion had caused the collapse.

“Our team will be working as quickly and safely as possible to carry out the repair and open up the tow path," it said.